i'm joined by phil kelly and your entire family. who do we have here? >> this is conner. >> reporter: conner. hello. what is your name? >> cameron kelly. >> michelle kelly. >> reporter: all from houston, texas thnchts is parson kelly. >> reporter: why did you want to be here with your family? >> it is fantastic. we started out with wanting to take the kids to italy for vacation, got here a week and a half ago and fate has put us here at the right time. we've been coming here for the last day and a half looking at the smoke and a couple times black smoke which was exciting because we knew we'd keep coming back and just feel blessed it happened while we're here. we fly out on friday and it is very exciting. the kids, it's late for them but they're as excited and smiling as can be. >> isn't it past your bed time? >> yes. >> reporter: yeah? what is it like to be here? >> great. >> reporter: yeah? exciting? >> yes. >> reporter: there are a lot of crowds. is everyone -- seems like everyone is very happy here. >> yes. very. >> reporter: yeah? for you, why was it so important

to bring the kids? >> well, it's such an historic moment, and we are catholic, so it's even more special for us. both of our families are catholic, so i think this is one of those things that is a once in a lifetime event. so we even debated, should we bring the baby, should we not? it's a little cold and rainy and we are so glad we can look back and say, you were here when you were 19 months old. >> reporter: you've all been braving the rain. more than just a little rain. >> it is. >> it makes it more memorable. >> reporter: what do you hope this means for your faith? >> well, look, i think it's exciting to have someone from that part of the world where there's certainly a big part of the growth from latin america. we were talking earlier, i am a bit biased. i was born in boston and was rooting for o'malley but we said i hope it's from either north or south america. >> reporter: well i'm so glad you were here.

thank you for talking to us. and obviously there is a lot of excitement here. let's go to wolf in washington. thanks very much, anderson. we're following the breaking news. the world's 1.2 billion roman catholics have a new pope. we want to welcome our viewers in the united states and around the world. i'm wolf blitzer in "the situation room." just a few minutes ago argentina's cardinal jorge mario bergoglio now pope francis stepped through the red curtains on a vatican balcony to deliver his first blessing. >> translator: let us pray for the whole world because let us have a big brotherhood. i wish that this journey for the church that we are going to start today and my cardinals

want to help me, let's hope this journey bears fruits for the evangelizing of this beautiful city. >> word first came of a new pope in the form of the white smoke rising from the chimney of the sistine chapel. that signal that the 115 cardinals have elected one of their own. that set the bells ringing out across st. peter's square. there are thousands and thousands of people still rushing to celebrate even as we speak. let's go to the scene. our own chris cuomo has been watching all of this history unfold in very dramatic terms. this is one of those historic moments that all of us will always remember. >> reporter: it's a great memory to cover. there is no question, wolf. but the context here is so meaningful. starting with pope benedict's resignation, there was something very unusual in the catholic

church's history. chances for change, for firsts, for novelty. you have that resignation. then you have the unusual energy at the general congregation for foreign cardinals saying they wanted more accountability and they didn't want to just rush into things. now we have pope francis. he is a first on so many levels. he is the first pope from south america. he is the first pope since the original, peter, from outside europe. he is the first pope to call himself francis, which is very significant, because francis of assisi was about humility, eschewing all the trappings of wealth and helping the neediest. that is the message the church needs now more than ever so the name is very significant. as a side note being elected on five ballots hasn't happened in a hundred years. this cardinal bergoglio needs a little context. this is the man we believe finished second to benedict in the last conclave. and just today a retired cardinal had told us, hey, you

know, you're not mentioning bergoglio. why not? because if some big name can't deliver 77 votes he is the perfect compromise. as you know, wolf, no one had heard about him. so now here he is with all these firsts and all of these suggestions and symbols of what could be changed in the catholic church. but the big question is, what will pope francis bring? throughout the day and all around the world, wolf, the same types of reactions. that they hope he'll be sympathetic to the cause of change that is necessary in the church. whether that is about the sexual abuse scandal, whether it's about vatican bureaucracy and administration of the cause. you heard all these young women in st. peter's square hoping that this pope is sympathetic to their cause and what it could mean for them. all the children on their parents' shoulders. they are the church. the people are the church. what will they inherit from pope francis? one of the early indications, wolf, is the first thing that pope francis asked before he

prayed for anyone was to be silent in their presence as they prayed for him. is this an indication that he is going to do for the people what he believes is right? will pope francis be that? i'm here with john allen our senior vatican analyst, father edward beck passionist priest. in looking at this man, pope francis, john, how much do we have to judge him by how he's been? because frankly, there is a concern that he is a traditionalist, in quotes, which means he is not going to advance social agenda or do the types of things many more reform minded catholics want to see. how much do you judge him by his past? how much can he change in the future? >> i think the book on cardinal bergoglio now pope francis would be looking at his record in argentina is that he would profile as a solid conservative on matters of doctrine, so that is issues such as abortion and gay marriage and those sorts of things he would be seen astra digsalist i guess in that sense. that is someone who would be a

robustly orthodox -- opposed to gay marriage, contraception, and so on. however, the other part of that picture is, he also profiles as someone four square committed to the church's teaching on social justice, that is defense of the poor, defense of the downtrodden. in other words, it's a kind of hard line on doctrine but very soft line with human beings. the classic example is though he is robustly opposed to gay marriage he very famously made a visit to an aids hospice in buenos aires and washed the feet of aids patient which is a symbolic act in catholicism of service not placing yourself above someone but placing yourself with. so i think that is the combination. you're not going to see reform in quotes if by reform we mean overturning church teaching. i do think what you'll see is an extraordinarily humble, patzeral man who brings that compassion and projects compassion, particularly for the neediest and the suffering of the world. >> interestingly, just for all of you watching us now, cardinal

bergoglio is known for not wanting to live in the more majestic place reserved for him as the archbishop of buenos aires but in a humble apartment. he cooks his own food. he wouldn't allow himself to be driven around. unusual humility for someone of his station. father beck, when you see this, that this is pope francis and he chose that name, what does it mean to you about who he wants to be? >> it speaks of simplicity and humility. often i hear a critique why doesn't the vatican give the money to the poor? there is a perception that the wealth is somehow destructive. and whether or not that's true this man represents the opposite of that from his lifestyle and from whom he is. i just say something to you about francis and you brought this up and i've been tweeted about it since we're sitting here. there is a jesuit st. francis, francis xavier. we don't know if perhaps he had him in mind. i mean, it is interesting speculation. >> i think it is entirely possible he had both. remember when benedict xvi chose

benedict the question was oh, is that st. benedict the founder of the benedictins or one of the pope benedicts? he said both. >> right. >> so it is entirely possible pope francis had both francis of assisi and francis xavier. >> he could be true to rebuild the church and his jesuit heritage at the same time. >> his first act of unification is to bring the franciscans and jesuits to the table together. >> that is a big act. >> in an obvious way he connects the old and the new worlds by coming from south america. just a huge time for south america. they have the world's cup, the olympics, now the pope. now in the more specific because we've been so caught up in the process, pope francis's head is probably spinning. what does he do the rest of the night? >> i suspect if you put that answer to the vatican they would say he has dinner. traditionally -- and we don't know if this has happened -- but in conclaves past the new pope has asked the cardinals to remain with him in the hotel on

vatican grounds where they stay during the conclave to have a dinner together and that will also give them time to socialize. then the next morning we are presuming again this is not yet confirmed, but if things hold to form, he will probably celebrate a mass with the cardinals who elected him in the sistine chapel and typically that is the first time you get a programatic set of remarks from the new pope. obviously his comments tonight on the balcony were simply to greet the crowd but we'll probably have the first substantive indication of where pope francis intends to go in that mass. >> wolf, a night of firsts so far for the catholic church. the question is what kind of change may be coming. there you have him, pope francis, wolf. >> lots of unanswered questions that we'll try to answer over the course not only of today but in the days and weeks to come. anderson cooper is on the scene as well. he is in that crowd. anderson, tell our viewers where you are and what is going on. >> we're in st. peter's square

and as exciting as this is for italians and americans we talked to imagine what it is like for argentinians. we have two here, roberto and dino. when you heard who this pope was, what did you think? >> it is the first time -- i don't know. a lot for my country. >> reporter: how did it feel? >> also for me, really surprised that an argentinian becomes now the new pope. actually i was trusting to have a latin american pope. >> reporter: there was so much focus on perhaps a brazilian cardinal. there wasn't really a lot of talk about argentina. >> that's right. so it was really a surprise to hear that, you know, we have an argentinian pope. >> reporter: you actually got a text you said from your mother. >> yeah right. >> reporter: what did she say? >> just sitting here and then i hear from my mom in argentina from a small village in argentina and then she wrote to

me -- >> reporter: she announced to you. >> exactly. i ran to the square and right here well we just attended the ceremony. >> reporter: i'm wondering as somebody from argentina, to see a fellow countryman up in the papal robes up on the balcony -- >> it was a sensation that, you know, you can't really -- i think also it is a clear sign also for latin american people because it is one of the biggest communities of catholics in the world so i think that this is also a very nice sign for them. >> reporter: what do you hope to see from this pope? >> for me, is i think he has a

big following in argentina too. >> what do you think it means for the future of the church? >> well, i think this is a big challenge, you know, to change the church because they need a lot of things to be changed. and then for him it will be a real challenge but i think that he has a very good skill set, he is a very nice person, very charismatic, very simple person. so i trust he can go ahead with the church. >> in south america so many people love bergoglio. when they came out and said bergoglio many people in south america were surprised for argentina, chile, for the poor people in my country. >> reporter: he is respected as sort of a very simple person who

lives a very simple life. >> yes. he has a simple life. yes. it is a big surprise. so much -- >> reporter: i can see the excitement in your faces. thank you so much. really a pleasure. thank you. wish you the best. so of course two people from argentina and, again, we've just seen such a range of reaction here, but so many smiles and people continuing to smile as the evening progresses, chris. >> none, it's wolf but let me just pick up on the people you're talking to because it's fascinating to get the reactions. obviously folks from argentina are going to be thrilled. what about some of the others who may be a little bit disappointed, some people from italy though the new pope, pope francis's father was an italian immigrant to argentina, the new pope was born in buenos aires. is there a sense you're getting at least from some folks there, italians if you will, that they're a little disappointed that an italian was not

selected? >> reporter: i really haven't heard any disappointment to be honest. we've talked to several italians, several americans as well. there is really a sense of excitement particularly for people knowing they were here and they saw the first pictures of the pope. they were actually here to witness it. i haven't heard any disappointment. i think, you know, everybody maybe has favorites of who they thought it might be but there wasn't really, you know, there was a lot of talk about a brazilian. there was a lot of support for different cardinals, not a lot of focus on who is now pope francis, but i, wolf, haven't heard a lot of disappointment. i think it is a sense of excitement overall. >> was it a surprise to the folks there where you are, anderson, that it took the fifth ballot in order to select the new pope? >> absolutely. i think, you know, there were -- there was a big crowd here last night, probably about 40,000 or so people. we didn't get an estimate of how many people were here watching

the chimney and actually here to witness the white smoke but i think there was a sense of surprise. a lot of people i talked to thought it might happen tomorrow morning. maybe it would happen tomorrow evening. but for it to actually happen on the fifth ballot, very rare. i don't think -- we certainly have not seen that for a very long time if ever. so i think it is usually takes at least seven or so ballots is the average, seven and a half ballots is the average that we've seen in recent years. >> and so pope francis obviously clearly a favorite among the cardinals, the 115 cardinals who made this decision. anderson, stand by. becky anderson is on the scene as well. becky, where are you and what is going on where you are? >> we're about 150 yards down from vatican city and the crowds are now beginning to thin out but as the people streamed past us, we caught one of the ladies who works in the argentinian embassy and i've just spoken to her. she knows pope francis i.

she spoke to him fairly recently. she says his priority will be the pull. she is so excited as you can imagine. her phone was going off as we were speaking. fascinating to just hear that. >> absolutely. it underscores what we were talking about earlier. as i was listening to that counselor, i thought, i wonder if it's st. francis of assisi or st. francis xavier who was the jesuit saint and great evangelizer. bergoglio is known for that for being an evangelizer and wants to take the church into other parts of the world and beyond where we see it today. he has been very outspoken on that point. we'll see what he does as pope. >> patricia was the lady i was speaking to from the argentinian embassy and so emotional. >> it is wonderful to see not only the argentinaians but all the latins. they were so unrepresented as they went into this conclave and, yet, the church there was so vibrant. we saw it when benedict went to mexico, to cuba last year. the vibrancy and enthusiasm for the faith is where it is in

latin america. >> the point is this. these cardinals were to all intents and purposes elected and the new cardinals will be elected by francis i which will mean one assumes that there will be a bigger latin american contingent going forward. perhaps more reflective of the size of the catholic faith in that part of the world. >> without a doubt. he will focus on giving that church the representation it demands on a global scale. he'll bring latin america into the universal church and i can only imagine what latins are experiencing not only in latin america but the united states and north america and everywhere. it is a big night. >> remind me why a pope has to change his mind. >> he does it because his whole person changes. in the thinking of the church, the theology the holy spirit comes upon this man who has been chosen to be the universal pastor and he changes not only in his person, his name,

everything. he becomes a new man. he leaves the old man behind. and he spends the rest of his life here serving the church as the servant of servants. >> you were just speculating on why perhaps he chose the name francis. he is now pope francis i. if sean o'malley had become pope today the archbishop of boston, we were thinking, at least the speculation was, that he would also call himself francis. >> yes. i spoke to some intimates of the cardinal and at the time they were saying, boy, if he makes it to the throne he will surely call himself francis and, unfortunately, the name has already been taken. we'll see what happens. but it bespeaks the same humility people saw in cardinal o'malley. certainly this man francis i has that humility, the simplicity that i think they were looking for. >> now, we spoke to lots and lots of people, wolf, as they streamed past. many of them said they thought

this was good for the church, particularly because this man is from latin america originally with italian roots but one thing we were talking about and some people had a question mark over was whether this man would be a reformer. >> we just don't know at this point. look, he strives the balance between the moderates and the traditionalists in the church. but he also is italian by nature and the italians may think here, hey, we might be able to sort of take him under our wing, help him out. he doesn't have a lot of experience here. and -- >> is that good or bad? >> it might be a bad thing. the odds on thinking for many cardinal electors to me at least was we need a man who is an outsider but knows the inside of this system. bergoglio really doesn't. we'll see what happens. anything can happen. it is a new day. a new panl is turned and it is exciting to witness i was going to wrap it up but i think you've done it for me. i have nothing more to say. back to you, wolf.

>> becky, thanks very much. thanks to your guest as well. jim bitterman is on the scene with two guests with him from argentina. jim? >> wolf, pretty exciting for anybody out here but it has to be most exciting for anybody from argentina, right? >> yes! >> my goodness. so wait a minute. you are mercedes and sophina? >> yes. >> yes. >> what did you think? >> we are so excited. >> it was incredible. just being here and argentinian both we can't believe it. he is such a simple guy. >> so you know him. >> yes we know him. we went to some masses. he is so simple. >> such a simple guy. like he doesn't even own a car

there. what he said here, like go to sleep, rest. so argentinian. i don't know. it's incredible. we can't believe it. >> i don't suppose you called anybody back home did you? >> yes, yes. i told them. they are crying in buenos aires. they can't believe it also. >> reporter: amazing. so how is it going to affect things do you think in argentina and in latin america? do you think it is going to have an impact? >> yes. such an important impact. >> yes. he is a jesuit and i don't know. >> he is not european so that means a lot. you know? it is a latin american guy so it will be a change. >> reporter: what were your expectations when you came out here tonight? obviously you knew you'd hear and see a new pope. >> yes. he is 76 years old. i don't know. i thought it would be like the favorite or a very surprise

choice which it was but i never thought bergoglio. i don't know. >> i didn't think of him. it is great they chose him. >> yes. >> reporter: one of the things the analysts are saying is maybe this will help the church grow. >> yes, i think so. >> in latin america. how do you feel about that? >> yes, i think it will change the church because he's so charismatic. yes. >> a simple guy. >> world youth journeys in brazil, next to argentina, like more people will go, more of argentina will have the possibility and, yes. it will make a change there. >> reporter: a pretty big year for the -- for south america. yes. >> gold cup. >> yes. it's true. >> and the pope. not so bad. >> this is incredible. we can't believe it. we are so excited.

>> reporter: how are you going to celebrate tonight? >> we're going to pizza and to talk all night. i can't do anything else. >> just think about the idea we are having an argentinian pope. >> and we are here also and an argentinian pope. it is too much. i can't do anything but talk about it tonight. >> so happy. >> reporter: okay. mercedes and josephina thank you very much. >> thanks to you and the two ladies from argentina. pope francis i becomes the spiritual leader of the world's 1.2 billion catholics, about half a billion of them living in latin america. cnn's tom foreman is taking a closer look at this very, very diverse flock. what are we seeing right now, tom? >> reporter: if you want to understand how surprising it is this pope was selected you have to look beyond what happened in this room with the 115 cardinal

electors and look at the bigger catholic world where catholics are all over this planet and how that may have helped shape this decision. if you look over in the far east you can see in oceania you have 9 million. up into asia about 130 million. 185 million in africa. and 285 million in europe which is always the place that has produced the popes. but look at the new reality today. here is north america, basically talking about the united states and canada here, 85 million catholics here. but this is the powerhouse. this is the powerhouse. latin america, 501 million catholics there. as you pointed out, wolf, that is almost half of the world's catholic population. if this were a democracy, absolutely this group would rule especially when you consider that one-third of the north american catholics also are hispanic. this would be the group that decides. but this is not a dplox aemocra

that makes it more surprising. italy over here is really relatively small in the big picture of things. just under 6 million people there who call themselves catholic, largely catholic country but a really small group. compare that to what we pointed out, 501 million in latin america. but now, look at the extraordinary change that happens when you look at the number of cardinals representing those areas. suddenly italy becomes huge with 28 cardinals representing that small group of catholics and only 19 representing all of latin america two from argentina. there is no way with this kind of political power in this room that this cardinal could have been elected without a lot of people from that old world group coming over and saying, there is a new catholic world out there. the world is changing even for a 2,000-year-old church and this election is largely the result. wolf? >> good explanation, tom foreman, in our virtual sistine

chapel over there, tom. thanks very much. argentina's cardinal jorge mario bergoglio is the first as we've been pointing out, nine europeans since ancient times, to become pope. let's get a closer look at who the new pope is. i want to go first to chris cuomo back on the scene. we're beginning all of a sudden to learn a whole lot more about pope francis i and everything i've read in the past few hours he is obviously a very fascinating individual, 76 years old. >> he just sets out as such an interesting story for the church at this time. you know, beginning with the fact that in the last conclave, he's said to have finished second. just imagine what that must have meant to him going forward and yet his response was to live this life of incredible simplicity. i mean, you just never hear about this type of stuff, wolf, where he takes the bus to work. he didn't want to be driven. he lives in a simple apartment and makes his own food. social justice being so important to him.

and symbolically he now connects the old world and the new world and that's where the catholic church is growing. the question of course will be what kind of pope will he be? he is conservative on a lot of things where catholics want people to be more moderate or more liberal but then he takes the name francis, which again is consistent with the humility of service to others. so a lot of it's open questions, obviously, but he is a great story and also came out of nowhere in a way because he was not being discussed at least in the media who was doing a lot of time talking to people from the college of cardinals before all this happened as being a contender this time around. just today, wolf, we had a retired cardinal say to us, why aren't you mentioning bergoglio? he is a perfect compromise for people. everyone respects him. he needs no introduction. and sure enough, tonight pope francis. >> it's interesting, because there have been a lot of reports that he was supposedly the main challenger to joseph ratzinger who became pope benedict the

last time around coming in second on several of the ballots yet as you correctly point out, there wasn't a whole lot of attention paid to him this time around even though our own vatican analyst did write a beautiful profile of him that he posted on cnn.com. why is that? why weren't more people paying attention to him? are you getting a good answer on that, chris? >> i'm getting a great answer because i'm sitting next to john allen. so, you know, i'll bring him in for this. i believe from what you've told me the expectation was he didn't win the first time. he is now a little older. he's had health scares. they were going to move on the reason people thought his window had sort of closed is because he is eight years older than last time and particularly on the heels of a pope who had just resigned citing age and exhaustion. remember, benedict was only 78 when he was elected. cardinal bergoglio now pope francis is only two years younger than benedict xvi was when he was elected eight years ago. i think many people thought that

was implausible. but let's also be clear. when we say he was the challenger last time these guys were not running against one another. there were simply different groups in the college attached to each of their canned dasies. substantively speaking when it comes to the main issues pope francis and pope benedict would be on the same page. the difference more has t do with priorities and style. benedict the consummate european who was interested in the church's engagement with secularism. francis the consummate latin american gets out of bed in the morning thinking about the poor, the suffering of the world, and the church's concern and passion for their needs. >> wolf, a very interesting thing. as i go back to you, it was so interesting that pope francis and one of his first acts as pope asked for the people to pray for him before he spoke he decided to be silent in their presence and symbolically hopefully that means that the catholic church is going to have its people's needs put first by this new pope.

>> you know, let me ask john this question because i think he knows a lot more about this obviously than i do. he is seen as a jesuit, right, john? when i think of a jesuit here in the united states i think of georgetown university, a jesuit university, and i think of a priest there and other catholic leaders as a little bit more shall we say less conservative than the main stream. is that a fair assessment? >> well, that's a fair assessment of how the jesuits are often perceived though the jesuits are a massive, worldwide religious order and you can find a little bit of everything within the society of jesus. actually cardinal bergoglio now pope francis earlier in his career was what is called a provincial which means a regional leader for the jesuits in argentina. he was seen then as a kind of moderate so he was trying to hold the line against what was perceived as some extreme liberalism among some jesuits but also drew some flack from some of the more traditionalist,

conservative elements in the society. so i think basically speaking he would be seen as someone who was open both to left and right and did his best to try to bring both of those currents together. >> he did have some clashes with the argentinian government including the president over his opposition to same sex marriage, free distribution of contraceptives. how did that play out as far as you know? >> well, i think it played out in the sense that those who disagree with church teaching on those questions would also have issues with the positions that the then cardinal now pope francis took. look, wolf, i'll tell you. my experience of catholic leaders across most of the developing world including the new pope is that they tend to profile as very conservative by our standards on matters of sexual immorality so issues like abortion, gay marriage, gender roles and so on and by our standards they tend to profile as very liberal or very progressive on other social

questions such as war and peace, economic justice, the environment, and so on. i think in some ways the new pope perfectly incarnates those tendencies. that is you'll find him quite conservative on some things and quite liberal on others which to us in the west may seem counterintuitive but seems quite natural to people in other parts of the world including of course two-thirds of the 1.2 billion catholics in the world who live outside. >> i know he speaks several languages. obviously spanish and italian. he studied in germany. i assume he speaks german. here is the question, john. do we know if he speaks english? >> honestly, on occasions i've met him over the years we've all spoken in italian so i am not a hundred percent sure how good his english is. however, this is an extremely polished, cosmopolitan man. i think you'll find he has command of at least some english and knowing how important it is as the language of global communications i'm quite sure he

is also going to be working to bring his english up to speed to fill whatever gaps there may be there because he will understand his responsibility as a communicator to be able to communicate in the language of the world's media and business. >> what do you take away from the first public words from pope francis i? >> well, i was struck, wolf, not merely by what he said but by what he did. i mean, i think obviously we only saw him for a few minutes tonight. he didn't lay out a platform pa name of francis, even if part of it was francis xavier the saint he understands the vast majority of the world will immediately think of francis assisi the great patron saint of humility, love for nature, love for the poor. secondly i was struck as chris pointed out earlier his first act when he came out on the balcony wasn't to speak in his own voice or offer his blessing but rather repress the crowd's blessing on him and then pause

in silence. and then, third, i was also struck by just the very gracious way he engaged the crowd, the smile, the gentle touch. in terms of your first steps, your debut on the public stage so to speak, i think he went three for three in terms of trying to send a signal that this is not going to be business as usual for the catholic church but this is going to be a breath of fresh air. >> yeah. that was the impression that i got as well. john, chris, hold on for a moment. i want to go back to anderson down with the crowd. anderson, you're speaking to more people getting more reaction to this historic moment. >> yeah. there are still a lot of people here. i want to introduce some of the noex the crowd. how you all doing? >> i'm from rome! >> virginia. >> reporter: and where are you from? >> mexico. >> reporter: what does it mean for you to have a pope from south america? >> it's really great. we've never had anybody from

outside of europe to be a pope so it is really exciting. >> reporter: what was it like to be here? >> it's really exciting. no words can express being here. >> reporter: and as an italian what is it like? >> i was here also last time and i hope to be here next time, too. >> reporter: why did you want to be here? >> i am a student here. >> reporter: how long were you here in the square? >> today about two hours. >> reporter: two hours. so you were here in the rain and everything. >> mm-hmm, yep. >> reporter: wow. but you stayed. i mean a lot of people would have left in the rain. >> i stayed because i just had a feeling, a good feeling about tonight drnchts you think there would be white smoke tonight? >> no. i am from argentina and i live in a small city in the north. when i heard that he was from argentina i said, what? from argentina? and i started screaming.

i'm with my sister. i am so excited. >> reporter: what does it mean to have a pope from argentina? >> it is so special. i'm so excited. i'm so happy. i can't believe it. >> reporter: yeah. what was it like for you to be here? i mean these crowds, there was tens of thousands of people here. everybody i saw seemed to be smiling. >> yes. and the first thing i thought about was my family, my country, my friends. this is so special. i want to talk with all the people from argentina about this. we took a lot of pictures. >> reporter: what do you think it means for where the church moves now? >> i think it will be on a move forward. hopefully make some good changes. hopefully he'll be similar to john paul ii in some ways and being very progressive. we'll just have to wait and see.

>> reporter: very exciting. thank you all. appreciate it. and, you know, what really strikes us is the young people and how many young people there were in the square today and still continue to be. a lot of people came from all over rome when they heard the news even if they weren't here when they actually, when the white smoke appeared they wanted to be here and got here as quickly as they can and are staying late into the night. >> are there still activities going on, any formal activities, anderson? >> reporter: no, not as far as i can see. there's not formal activities at all, nothing officially happening. but i think a lot of people kind of are hanging around and just kind of talking to one another and enjoying the moment. >> reporter: a celebratory moment indeed. an historic moment. we'll get back to you. we're getting reaction from all over the world including from here in the united states as well. brian todd is standing by. brian, tell our viewers where you are and your special guest. >> wolf, i'm at the basilica of

the national shrine of the immaculate conception the largest catholic church in north america with monsignor walter the director of the basilica. your reaction -- surprised at the selection of the man who is now pope francis? >> absolutely surprised, because he was not one of the ones people were contending to be elected holy father so probably like most people i immediately googled him to see where he was from and who he was. >> he is from this hemisphere. you are the head of one of the largest and most important churches in this hemisphere. what do you hope he does right out of the gate? >> well, i think he already impressed the world, certainly impressed me by the fact that one of the very first things he did was asked those in st. peter's square, those throughout the world on television or radio to bless him and then he stopped and bowed down as if to receive a blessing from the entire world. and that right there speaks of his great humility and also reliance on the power of prayer. >> reporter: many analysts and observers say now more than ever this is a church in need of reform.

do you believe he is the man for that job? will he bring reform to the church especially i guess in this part of the world? >> well, my guess is that the cardinal electors believe he is the right man at the right moment and under the guidance of the holy spirit chose this man to lead us forward so i trust that will be the case. >> how soon do you want him here? >> as soon as possible. >> a lot of excitement brewing here and on the campus of catholic university. there is a mass in 45 minutes, a regularly scheduled mass. we'll see if it is more heavily attended than usual. >> could you ask your guest, brian, if there is a special prayer that catholics here in the united states and around the world should say at this moment? >> reporter: monsignor did you hear wolf? he said is there a special prayer catholics around the world can and should say at this moment? >> we have been praying for the election and now that we have a holy father i suggest we pray a prayer of thanksgiving and ask god to give this holy father the strength he needs to lead us at this time.

>> reporter: are you confident he has the strength? some have speculated he is another pope being elected in advanced years, 76, are you concerned at all about that? >> not at all. he came out on the balcony of st. peter's looking very strong and vibrant and i trust that god chooses the right people at the right time and so god chose wisely for us and directed the cardinals in that way. >> reporter: monsignor, thank you very much for your time. >> great to be here. >> reporter: wolf, again, a lot of buzz around the basilica here and catholic university and we'll be spending the next couple hours seeing about students coming around here, people who attend the church seeing their reaction as well. >> we'd love to get their reaction and look forward to more reports from you, the catholic university of america by the way. later i'll be speaking with the former president of the catholic university. he'll be joining us. the white house has just released a statement from the president of the united states. the president's statement on the selection his holiness pope

francis. from president obama, on behalf of the american people michelle and i offer our warm wishes to his holiness pope francis as he ascends to the chair of st. peter and begins his papacy. as a champion of the poor and the most vulnerable among us, he carries forth the message of love and compassion that has inspired the world for more than 2,000 years that in each other we see the face of god. as the first pope from the americas, his selection also speaks to the strength and vitality of a region that is increasingly shaping our world and alongside millions of hispanic americans, those of us in the united states share the joy of this historic day. just as i appreciated our work with pope benedict xvi, i look forward to working with his holiness to advance peace, security, a knnd dignity for ou fellow human beings regardless of their faith. we join with people around the world in offering our prayers for the holy father as he begins the sacred work of leading the

catholic church in our modern world. that's the statement from the president, president obama, on his holiness, pope francis i, becoming the new pope. the election of the pope came as the president was meeting with house republicans up on capitol hill. cnn's dana bash reports that an aide handed the president a note with the news and then the president read that note to the group and there was applause. someone then yelled out, does this mean that the white house tours are open? and the president responded, and i'm quoting him now, vatican tours are. later the president spoke about the moment. >> i made the announcement we saw smoke but i actually had not seen the official announcement of name so we look forward to hearing about it and i'm sure it's going to be -- >> exciting moment. obviously carlos lopes of cnn

espanol is joining us now. i can't emphasize how important this is for latin america that there is now a pope not from europe but from the western hemisphere specifically in this case from argentina. give us some context. >> it would be an under statement, wolf, to say that this is huge, historic, the first time a latin american is heading the catholic church. now, why is it important? if you look at the numbers, almost half of the more than 1 billion catholics in the world live in the americas. brazil, the largest country, largest catholic population in south america, mexico in north america the second largest population but it is the predominating religion in all of latin america. in the united states you have over 50 million hispanics. about 70% of them identify as catholics. so it is huge. it is very important. the american catholic church is very important to the vatican. it provides lots of resources but latin america has the faithful. it has people who are catholic.

there are problems for catholics and for the catholic church in latin america, wolf, but it is still the predominating religion. this is going to be a boost to catholicism in the americas to have a latin american heading the church. >> there have been some inroads, other christian denominations have made some inroads, evangelicals specifically. he is deeply committed to a missionary road as the new pope isn't he? >> and he follows a conservative line. he opposes same sex marriages. he is conservative on birth control following the line and remember these cardinals were most named by pope john paul ii and by benedict xvi. they're conservatives. but the thing with hispanic catholics is very interesting. even though they identify as catholics, and even though that is a main religion there have been inroads by protestant churches, evangelical churches, and a lot of people though they identify and live as catholics don't follow all the rulings or orders of the church.

so you might find, you will find many catholics who use birth control and who do not follow the rulings of the church on marriage and on same sex marriage. it is a very, very interesting phenomenon that is happening with catholics all over latin america. >> it certainly is. and juan carlos you know south america, latin america a lot better than i do. i know there is a rivalry between argentina and so many of the other countries of south america and latin america especially when it comes to sporting events as you well know. give us a little context of how others, catholics, not in argentina but in south america, central america, are reacting. >> well, there is banter among latin americans over this designation and it is in good nature but argentinaians are famous for being, excelling at sports. and now many have said that this proves that the pope isargentin

with the idea that argentinaians have a sense of being superior to others and this is a source of jokes, a source of wise cracks among argentinaians and others but it is a moment of pride for many latin americans knowing someone born in argentina is now the head of the catholic church. it never happened before. there has been no latin american pope. there have been european popes, african popes, popes from the middle east. this is the first pope from latin america. and it will have an impact on the catholic church. obviously as i said the joke now is people are saying, well this proves that god is argentinian. >> it also underscores i think it's fair to say his father pope francis i was an italian immigrant to argentina. the pope was born in argentina but his father was a railway worker from turin in italy, came to south america, came to argentina, and his son is now pope francis i.

so he does have that italian connection. >> he does and in this case argentina a nation of immigrants just like the united states thousands upon thousands of italians migrate today that country, set routes and now one of them an argentinian born in buenos aires now the pope of the catholic church and he has a link to europe, italy, but he is seen as a latin american pope and i believe for catholics that is a big sense of pride and a big story and it is going to have a big impact to know the pope is argentinian, speaks spanish fluently and will show another face of latin america around the world. >> of course. he is born in argentina. that goes without saying. i'm sure he speaks italian fluently. i said before he speaks german. we're trying to figure out if he speaks english. i'm sure he speaks some english as well among other languages. probably speaks some portugese i

wouldn't be surprised either. juan carlos, hold on for a plomt as the new pope addressed the crowd in the vatican and viewers around the world. pope francis i asked for their blessing. then he offered a very special prayer for his predecessor. watch this. >> translator: brothers and sisters, good evening. you know that i was in the conclave. it was to give a bishop of rome. it seems that my brother cardinals went to choose him from the end of the world, but we are here. i thank you for the hospitality,

for greeting me. the community of rome, the bishop, thank you. and before everything, before everything i would like to make a prayer for our pope emeritus, benedict xvi. let us pray, everyone, together, for him so the lord will bless him and mary will gather him in. our father who art in heaven hallowed be thy name. thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass

against us. lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. hail mary full of grace, the lord is with you. blessed are thou among women. blessed is the fruit of thy womb jesus. holy mary, mother of god, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death, amen. >> the first prayers offered by pope francis i upon his selection as the new pontiff. bishop david o'connell is joining us right now. he is the bishop of trenton -- the diocese of trenton, new jersey, former president of the catholic university of america and a good friend. father o'connell, when you heard the news, of the new pope, what immediately went through your mind? >> wolf, i was stunned. it was not a name i expected to be announced. it was not a person i expected

to see on the balcony. like many other popes i was surprised by this appointment but it took all of about a minute to be delighted by it. >> tell us why you are especially delighted. >> you know, this is a man who loves the poor and he has a reputation for being a real servant of the poor. and that itself speaks volumes about him. you know, he was an archbishop in buenos aires and he had the right and the privileges that v.i.p.s have and yet he gave up his limousine. he took the bus. his first actions after being consecrated a bishop were to spend the day in a soup kitchen. there's just something special about this man. he's a jesuit. he is a member of a religious order. an order that's known for scholarship. and yet he, himself, is a terrific blend of both scholarship and learning and pastoral care and love for others. he really is an impressive fellow when you think about it. his name had been floated during

the last -- i thought of you -- dejavu for the two of us from the last papal conclave -- but he really blends together so many things both the first world and the third world, both old and new, traditional approach to catholicism and yet a love for social justice and the poor. i mean, his initial words were beautiful words speaking of love and caring for the people that were there and embracing them and asking them to embrace him and pray for him. and he just radiated such serenity and peace and joy. it was beautiful to see. >> some people thought, you know, he had been -- maybe we should call it first runner-up last time around when joseph ratzinger became pope benedict xvi. he got what, 40, at least these are the reports, he got about 40 of the votes among the 115

cardinals but they thought maybe this time his name wasn't floated around that much because he is 76 years old and given the fact that pope benedict stepped down citing his own age were you surprised that they selected someone 76? >> yeah. i have to confess i was a little bit surprised by that. and yet in looking into the man's eyes as he appeared and his face as he appeared there is a kindly, grandfatherly quality to him that maybe will speak and attract those of us who are much younger and kind of in need of wisdom and guidance. so yes surprised disappointed no. >> what will happen? at some point he will come to the united states. your school, the catholic university of america i'm sure he will come there. they usually make some sort of appearance there, right? >> two popes have, pope john paul ii and pope benedict of

course and you were there for his appearance that time back in 2008. whether he comes there or not i'm not sure but we know he is scheduled to come to the united states in 2015 for the year of the family which is going to be held in philadelphia. and the pope has made a commitment, pope benedict made the commitment and i'm sure he'll honor it by traveling to it. he will be very busy these days just trying to -- he is not an insider though he is a member of many congregations as a cardinal and departments of vatican. his attention has been focused on being the archbishop of buenos aires so he has a lot to become acquainted with and familiarize himself with in rome in the vatican. i think these will be very busy days and times for him. >> how do you think he is going to deal with some of the issues that the catholic church worldwide is now facing? you are familiar with some of

these problems that have emerged over the several years. >> i think you have to look to the pattern he established as an archbishop. he has been a bishop for a long time, in the role of leadership both in the jesuit order and in the community in buenos aires. he has spoken out very strongly on a lot of hot button issues and there are no surprises in his positions or points of view and i don't think we have any reason. i think it would be unfair to set ourselves up for expectations that his positions as pope will be much different than his positions as the cardinal archbishop of buenos aires. he is strongly in support of the church's teaching in all areas and very committed to social justice and love for the poor. that is one of the things he is best known for. >> father david o'connell, the bishop of the diocese of trenton, new jersey. the former president of the catholic university of america in washington, d.c. father o'connell, thanks so much for joining us on this historic

day. >> great to be with you, wolf. take care and god bless everyone. >> thank you very, very much. chris cuomo is on the scene for us watching what is going on. this is one of those moments a lot of folks will certainly always remember but the process is only just beginning. there are a lot of steps we should be anticipating in the days to come. >> it is reportable he called him earlier tonight. >> so many little steps tonight after we got the white smoke and the next thing you see is the pope himself. of course there is the acceptance of the role, offering up of his new name as pope, the full vestments, the meeting of the 114 cardinals. of course there was the cardinal deacon who came out and then the procession of the crucifix first. other members of the senior part of the college of cardinal and then of course the pope francis himself came out and addressed

us. now tonight as john allen was telling us earlier he will meet and eat with the other cardinals then hopefully get some rest and then there is an entire day, three days of activities to follow. we have with us father rosaka. he can give us all of the information about what is going on. congratulations. thank you for joining us. l let's start with how do you feel about the new pope? >> it was a surprise for all of us. i know cardinal bergoglio and i just said, thank god. you know, before i tell you about the schedule which i just announced in the press office there, if we look at the problems that have surfaced over the past weeks, we heard about them in spades and newspapers and gave the sum rifs the issues raised. if you look back over the past years the crisis of abuse, the scandals here at the vatican, financial mismanagement, questions about the leaks and

everything, when you step back from it all, every crisis we faced ultimately is a crisis of holiness that we've missed the calling. we've moved far away from what we're supposed to be. when i saw cardinal bergoglio come out on the balcony, this is the first response to the crisis calling us back to the basics, back to the gospels, being so uncomfortable up there and pushing aside the master was ceremonies and not following the prescribed latin formula, all of this because he is going to call us back to basics. and then inviting the crowd to say before i bless you, i want you to extend your hands in blessing over me. i thought i was watching john 23 for a few moments and i was rejoicing inside because we have to go back to the basics first before you start all of this rearrangement and reorganizing and he'll have the current -- he knows the curia and has been

extremely critical of the mess and disconnect here. i read his statements. i remember meeting him several times. sunday night we were out walking and just before we said good-bye he took my hands and i said are you worried? he said i'm nervous. he said stop here and just say a prayer with me. my colleagues and i were there and we said a prayer. people were stunned. reverend lombardi a member of his congregation was stunned. he was without words at the press conference. >> when you looked out and you saw the reaction to people, you didn't know that pope francis was going to ask for a moment of silent and be silent to be blessed himself before he'd speak what did you think when you realized the reaction of silence and what was going on in the square? >> there was an immediate connection. he made a connection with his diocese of rome. he referred to that. the pastor came to meet his people. it was beautiful. then he took the microphone again and didn't follow the book. thank god. once in a while we need that.

>> maybe that is a good thing. >> once in a while we need that. >> can you tell me what was your first reaction to the name when you heard he had taken the name pope francis? what first went through your mind? >> everything. francis of assisi and this pope, they're kindred spirits. francis of assisi is the patron of italy and the universal saint and someone who reached out between all kinds of lines and divisions, someone who turned his back on the wealth of his family and the lifestyle he had and bonded with lepers and the poor. here this is pope known for his care for aids patients and people who are very sick. who is known for his concern with single mothers whose babies were refused to be baptized by priests in his diocese and he scolded those priests last year and said how can you turn these people away when they belong to us? here is a pope that is going to come in and look at the situation and say get back to basics. this is about the gospel.

this is about what we are at our best. we're called to be saints. i just said wow. he is going to build on the beautiful teaching of benedict and the outreach of john paul ii and the smile of john paul first and on that magnanimous heart of john 23. there is a big continuity unfolding before us. >> so what comes before pope francis now? what is due tonight and tomorrow? >> right now we found out and this is the facts, they're having dinner and a celebratory dinner probably break some of the lenten rules and he announced in his address that he wants to pay a special visit to the blessed mother. the first thing he will do tomorrow morning there will be a private visit to st. mary major church where he will kneel before the blessed mother and pray. tomorrow afternoon at 5:00 he

will celebrate mass in the sistine chapel which brings to a conclusion the conclave. they'll probably have another celebration tomorrow evening and on saturday he is going to meet with all of the journalists and all of the media that's been covering these great events here in the audience hall. he himself asked for it. in fact the other day when he saw me monday morning he was walking over to the congregation meetings and he said, come here. thank you for working with my comfort father lombardi. he is a great man. i told father lombardi later and he said, no, no. >> good job security now though. is it true, was there communication between pope francis and pope emeritemeritus? it was not taped. we also know the installation of his ministry will be at 9:30 in the morning on march 19th in st.

peter's scare. st. joseph is the patron of the universal church. there is a great connection with st. joseph and st. francis but it is one of the principal feasts of saints and what a wonderful day to have it. you are not required to have this only on a sunday. this is a solemnity and also a week before holy week. >> we know one appointment that in a way is already in the new holy father's calendar is for world youth day in rio. first latin american pope going to latin america for world youth day. what do you expect? >> a short flight for him because i've flown to san poaol and buenos aires. it is a few hours. the latin americans will be delighted. we've heard stories of cafes where people fell to their knees.

>> this is going to a huge adjustment. for this man who made his own meals, took the bus, what do you think? you know bergoglio. >> the church needs this right now. some of us have strayed from this and lost the spirit at times and got caught up in a lot of external things at times. every now and then the lord sends holy people to call us back to the roots. many of us in the church will be rejoicing. this is a wonderful gift during lent. >> is this the man who is going to step forward and say i'm going to take the reins, we won't see what we've seen with the abuse scandal? he that type of man? >> he has the wisdom as a jesuit to gather around him a team of people that will do what he is not able to do.

he is very collaborative and he was provincial in the society of jesus in argentina. he is on a number of congregations and departments here at the vatican. he is by no means a stranger and is able to assess things very carefully and to make decisions. it is not the pope that has to do all of this but the wisdom of the pope to choose the people with him. i think he is, he will teach us how to lead and how to shepherd. >> wolf do you have any questions? >> i am very interested in why he thinks this time around pope francis i was elected. last time he wasn't. what happened between then and now? >> okay. i'll ask, wolf. did you get it? >> that is a very good question. well, you know, there is the human factor in this. there was a strong degree of support for cardinal ratzinger in 2005.

cardinal ratzinger distinguished himself very much at the meetings before the conclave in 2005. if anyone knew the inside of the challenges facing the church at that time it was cardinal ratzinger and he was an inspired choice. i don't know about the votes last time. those are stories in the paper and leaks. that is not important. pope benedict was the great gift for the church at this point in history. he paved the way so we can have pope francis. >> what do you think the most important thing he can do right now to start off his tenure as pope francis i? what is the message he needs to send out in the immediate days ahead? >> he sent it out tonight from the balcony. he asked people to pray over him. he invited people to pray with

gratitude for pope benedict, very simple prayers, the our father and hail mary, then he had a conversation with people. it was reminiscent of several other scenes i've seen in the past years and it brought us back to what this is all about. it is about being a pastor and a shepherd and he has told us already how he is going to operate. now we'll watch the story unfold. >> we certainly will. were you surprised personally, father? >> yes. i was very surprised. many said he doesn't have a chance. he is 77 years old just a year younger than pope benedict. surprised only by that. but deep down inside as soon as i heard the name jorge mario bergoglio, oh, this is a lesson for church. every crisis the church faces is ultimately a crisis of holiness and the only thing that can burn

away the chaff and call us back to the beginning is somebody who is in touch with holiness and the gospel. in that sense i'm very grateful. >> the tradition is and correct me if i'm wrong father that this is the man that the lord wanted and the 115 cardinals if you will, they came around and recognized that. >> that is exactly right. the lord and the church, this consensus, people knew who cardinal bergoglio was. his fame of simplicity went before him. >> it is a major, major challenge right now. what do you make of the fact that one of the first things he did was call his predecessor to just touch base with him if you will? that is a nice gesture. >> i probably would have done the same thing. we weren't left any plans on who to call when you stepped down or the successor so i think pope

francis is leaving a good playbook for us. >> we're just getting word, father, the vice president joe biden himself a catholic will represent the united states in the coming days. he'll be going over to rome for this historic moment. i think that is pretty significant. don't you? >> it is very significant. many heads of state have been letting us know their desire to come. the holy see never invites people to come to this but they inform governments we have a new leader and i think many people will be coming and i'm sure many people from latin america, south america will be coming as well. >> would it have been more appropriate if you say heads of state, heads of government are coming for the president himself to come to rome? >> it is not up to me to comment on anything like that. we're just grateful people are coming and those who are coming know who they are coming to see. >> walk us through the process between now and then.

it is going to be a fast moving, pretty choreographed, scripted by tradition isn't it? >> you're right there are certain things scripted by tradition but i think we also have a pope who showed us tonight that that tradition is not necessarily going to hold him down. he probably upset some people tonight by not following the formula. he weon over millions of others by what de. there is a beautiful ceremony by the inauguration ministry prepared next week. he'll gift angeles on sunday from the window of the apostolic palace. he'll take possession of his house at some point. so he has to get used to some things. one thing i know is he's probably not going to use the second half of the ticket to go back home to buenos aires. >> he is not going to be around argentina as much as he probably, certainly would have been had he not been selected pope. chris, you are there with john

allen. go ahead and speak to the father and ask him a few more questions. >> father, thank you so much for joining us. just something that we can get straight here, this is such a huge part of uniting the old world and the new. >> you're not going anywhere. >> too valuable. uniting the new and old worlds obviously is so powerful here. how is the pope's english, do you think he'll be able to come to the states and communicate effectively. >> he'll communicate in spanish with a big part of the united states. >> absolutely. >> i have only spoken to him in italian or spanish. i know he speaks english. i know he does. i don't know the quality of thei theish -- the english. one point, with a figure like that it doesn't matter. it kind of radiates. >> can you remember any other time since you've been involved with the church that you've had so many firsts and so many different symbols of potential change within the catholic church? i mean you know them all. you know everything that pope

francis represents that's unique and novel. >> do i know of any other time like this? >> right. so many things that were new and different at once? >> the election of john paul ii reminded me of this. >> what's interesting, you talked about how he pushed away monsignor, awaiting the master of ceremonies, do you remember in 1998 john paul ii did exactly the same thing. >> i was watching a replay here of a couple things. >> and john paul ii was the first to do anything other than deliver the blessing. he gave impromptu amaremarks an this was the first hint this pope will break the mold. did you draw the same conclusion tonight? >> i am speaking as a vatican spokesperson so i want to be very delicate in how i describe this. i was very pleased to see the

pope took charge and he was trying to connect with the people. that is what popes are supposed to do. >> people who watch tonight from all over the world, literally 1.2 billion people looking for leadership, perhaps more than at any other time in so many of their lives as we were looking for people tonight all the kids, what church will they inherit? what do you say to those who look and say i've heard of him. but he is still a conservative, a traditionalist and won't change anything. what is the message to them. >> the vast majority of people who ran to st. peter's square tonight in this awful weather, the vast majority didn't come to see somebody who was conservative or liberal or had this agenda or that platform. they came because the people from rome have a bishop. the rest of the people knew they came to see a pope. i don't think it matters who appears on the balcony for the people that are here because they're into this. this is their story.

for the rest of us watching from throughout the world, i would love to have been in south america tonight in buenos aires or nicaragua or other countries what this means for them we have no idea. they may have run to st. peter's square tonight. in argentina they were falling on their knees. in brazil we were told people falling on their knees, not running -- falling on their knees and giving thanks because finally this -- the papacy has taken someone from another part of the world and the pope even said it tonight. he had a beautiful line, toochlt they came to the furthest ends of the earth to get somebody to bring to rome to be their bishop. really lovely, human way of analyzing it. >> and having known him now what does it mean to you to have known the man as well as you did who is now pope? >> we have just elected a pastor, a great shepherd. we'll have to get used to this.

>> now, of course, we have one cardinal who stepped out of the conclave as pope. that means there's 114 who are going back to being cardinals. you of course are particularly close to one of the cardinals who is prominently mentioned as a possible pope, talking about cardinal willette from canada. do you think he is feeling any disappointment or the overwhelming sensation he may be feeling right now not only gratitude for the holy father but relief in a way for himself? >> i talk to most of the so-called front-runners of this. i worked with some of them and i think they are probably pouring an extra glass tonight out of relief. i believe a lot of them wanted to go back home to their diocese for holy week and cardinal willette is doing a superb job. to have a pope like pope francis with cardinal willette in such a key position is a great burden off the pope's shoulders. pope francis has an extremely competent, holy man in the

person of cardinal willette to oversee the appointment of shepherds throughout the world. inc. both are thanking god. >> father rossica, congratulations. thank you so much. >> before we let father rosica go, i want to ask one more question. you have been very generous with your time. for our viewers here in the united states or around the world, father, who are just tuning in, give us some perspective on the selection of his name, pope francis. pope francis i. what is your interpretation of that? >> pope francis, cardinal bergoglio, had a special place in his heart and ministry for the poor, for the disenfranchised, for those living on the fringes, those living in situations of injustice, and not only wrote about them and preached about them but bonded and connected with them. he walked with them and was very stern to those who didn't take care of them. he is a kindred spirit with the

great saint francis of assisi. who doesn't know francis of assisi who abandoned everything from wealth and prestige and who became poor himself and there is the myth and lure around francis because also the truth about francis. francis of assisi operated by the rules of the court. by this mean in a courtly life there was one king and a hundred courtiers. frachbs is francis of assisi was the courtier treating everybody else like kings and his story continues today in the lives of franciscans and these are wonderful men, the brown robes, and they have a special place in the world to remind us of the poor, francis, lord make me an instrument of your peace. francis of assisi is a great, great figure in the church but known especially for connecting with fellow christians and many people outside the christian

family or household. i think cardinal bergoglio will explain this. he told us he is going to explain in the next few days and i'm sure in the meeting with journalists on saturday we'll get some insight as to why he chose the name of francis. >> it is a pretty impressive and shattering moment as our own john allen said. i think few people would have anticipated the name francis. is that correct, father? >> i think so. this is the first time we have a pope francis. father lombardi just told us that he was pretty surprised. >> you were probably pretty surprised as well. i know john allen and everyone else who has studied this very closely has been very surprised as well and we're looking forward to pope francis's explanation kwhe when he meets journalists if not sooner. thanks so much for your help. we are really thankful to you. >> thank you very much. >> we'll have much more on this

historic day, standing by getting more reaction from all over the world. there is a new pope. we'll take a quick break. special coverage will continue right after this. surprise -- your house was built on an ancient burial ground. [ ghosts moaning ] surprise -- your car needs a new transmission. [ coyote howls ] how about no more surprises? now you can get all the online trading tools you need without any surprise fees. ♪ it's not rocket science. it's just common sense. from td ameritrade.

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and learn more about the kinds of plans that will be here for you now -- and down the road. i have a lifetime of experience. so i know how important that is. we're continuing our special coverage of this historic day coming out of the vatican, the cardinal jorge mario bergoglio is now pope francis. it is official. he is now the pope.

we'll go on the scene. ben wedeman was in the crowd when we learned who the new pope was. it must have been an electric moment for the folks there. >> reporter: it was really incredible, wolf. we came running up this road to st. peter's square once that white smoke appeared and there was a real sense of excitement and anticipation and relief at the same time because everybody knew there was a pope but nobody knew who that was so we were in the square among thousands and thousands of people just waiting and waiting and finally when the name was announced there was a moment of confusion because a lot of people had not heard of him. so there was a lot of looking around but when pope francis came out on the balcony he radiated a certain confidence, comforting air about him.

you could tell he made a very good first impression and people were quite happy and it didn't go along national lines. i spoke to americans, argentinians, mexicans, filipinos, everybody very relieved. i think it is important when we're looking at the stories oftentimes as journalists we have lists and names on the wall of all the candidates but i think for most of the people in the square what they wanted to hear was we have a pope. and so there was that great sense of relief when they saw the white smoke and joy when they saw pope francis come out on the balcony and salute them. >> as you know, it was about an hour or so between the time that we first saw the white smoke, meaning there is a new pope, and the time he actually appeared on the balcony. what was it like in the crowd during that hour? >> it was -- everybody was very

quiet. there wasn't a lot of noise. occasionally some people cheering but it is this great sense of almost electrical anticipation awaiting the news sort of that, sort of that flood of expectation that had been building up since the first conclave yesterday. had kind of burst forth when you saw all the people running to st. peter's square but in the square people were patient and weren't sort of eager to -- they were just sort of savoring the moment in a sense. i think people really feel the history of the moment during that hour waiting that hour to find out who the pope was. so yeah. it was an incredible sense of history that really flooded through st. peter's square. >> wolf, the crowd also has been young people, older people. i saw a lot of young faces there. >> it was a real mix.

you know, there were young parents with their children, four, five years old. i spoke to one man who had put his -- an italian who put his 5-year-old son up on one of these small columns to make sure he could see what was happening. he said it was his first time ever to come there and he wanted his son to see history in the making. you saw all ages, lots of italians, tourists, students who were here on a semester abroad. it was an incredible mix of people that really underscores in a sense the universal nature of the catholic church which has followers in almost every country. wolf? >> ben wedeman watching history unfold in rome right now at the vatican. ben, thanks very much. let's get more reaction, reaction pouring in from around the world. joining us on the phone right now is the former archbishop of washington, d.c. cardinal, thanks very much for coming in. what was your immediate reaction

when you heard of the new pope? >> extraordinary joy. i think this will be wonderful for the church. this is a fine man, a man who brings so many talents and gifts to the role of vicar of christ and who stands for something very, very special and especially he is from the southern hemisphere. i have been hoping that we would move into the southern hemisphere and especially i think many of us had hoped at some time soon we would have a pope who would come from latin america. one-half of the catholics in the world are from latin america so this is a way the cardinals have very graciously acknowledged that in choosing an ex-trord nary latin american to be the leader of the church, vicar of christ for the next year. so i think it was, for me, a great moment.

this is a wonderful man. i've had the pring vilege of meeting him in the past. i truly believe he has so many gifts and that his choices of the name francis which is also an extraordinary bolt of light for us indicates his tremendous love for the poor and his tremendous desire to work for peace. all of these things st. francis was so enthusiastic about as well as his great love for the church. >> i assume you know him fairly well, cardinal. you were among those voting the last time when pope benedict became the pope. there was word that this cardinal was, shall we say, the first runner-up at the time but tell us a little bit more about now pope francis. >> well, i think first of all, he is a very brilliant man. he was one of the great scholars of the jesuits in latin america

and he is also a man who has the ability of leading. he had been the provincial of the jesuits, the head of the jesuit priests in that whole area of argentina. so he is a man who knows how to govern and lead and who knows how to work with all kinds of different personalities and that is what the church is all about. i think he comes very equipped. he has languages. he has experience. he knows how to -- he knows how to judge people and how to pick people who would be really able to be helpful to him. >> when you spoke with him what language did you speak in? >> i usually speak to him in spanish. >> in spanish. does he speak english? >> yes, he does. i think he prefers spanish just like i prefer spanish to italian. but i think we all have a language.

i believe he speaks, probably speaks a few other languages, too. i know spanish, italian, i think german because he studied in germany and now you're telling us he speaks english. i suspect he speaks portugese as well. >> i wouldn't be surprised. when you're in buenos aires you really need to speak portugese. >> were you surprised they picked someone 76 years old? >> no. i guess my originally thought his name was not in the list that the experts in the media had built up so i thought that he might have a chance if there was, if the leaders of the different groups, the stars, and they were wonderful stars, found themselves blocking each other and not being able to get through to a majority that they would go to a trusted and -- a

trusted senior man who has a lot of -- who had their confidence and who had their admiration. but when it went, it happened in the fifth voting, i thought, oh, they probably -- one of the leaders has probably been elected because i thought for him to become chosen would have probably -- they would have needed maybe six or seven ballots. so i was surprised by that. >> a lot of people were surprised. five ballots. the former oiarchbishop of washington, would have been voting himself but he is 82 and you have to be under 80 to participate in the conclave, right, cardinal? >> exactly. and i'm not only 82. i'm going to be 83 if god willing in a few months. >> god willing. >> and we'll wish you a very, very happy birthday. a good friend of all of us. did a brilliant job here in washington, d.c.

thanks so much. >> thank you so much. we'll continue our special coverage of this historic day at the vatican. a new pope, francis. we'll also take a look at some of the other important news making headlines today. stand by. our special coverage continues right here in the situation room right after this. his current p, bob will retire when he's 153, which would be fine if bob were a vampire. but he's not. ♪ he's an architect with two kids and a mortgage. luckily, he found someone who gave him a fresh perspective on his portfolio. and with some planning and effort, hopefully bob can retire at a more appropriate age. it's not rocket science. it's just common sense. from td ameritrade. how far do you want to take it? up to you. chevy cruze's six-speed transmission allows for lower shift points, offering an e.p.a.-estimated 36 mpg highway. okay, then. [ laughs ]

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our girls got us thinking, but the break-in got us calling. and after buying two of everything, it was nice to only need one security system -- adt. [ male announcer ] get adt installed for just $99. and ask about adt pulse, advanced home management here today. adt. always there. president obama spent much of today on capitol hill speaking to republicans in the house of representatives. also talking about the pope. that's next.

our chief congressional correspondent dana bash is up on capitol hill right now. the president spent much of the day there meeting with house republicans, the president also offering his prayers and warm wishes to the new pope. dana, what was it like? unfortunately, i think we've lost our connections. we'll reconnect with dana. she is going to update us on the presidents' day spent -- spent a lot of time meeting with house republicans today. talking about spending, taxes, other critical issues. dana, are you with us?

>> reporter: i am. can you hear me, wolf? >> now we hear you. >> reporter: good. to answer your question the timing couldn't have been more fascinating because it was about a half way through the president's meeting with house republicans that we all saw the white smoke. when he came out we asked him about that. >> mr. president, what about the new pope? >> mr. president, are you upstaged by the new pope? >> i made the announcement we saw smoke but i haven't actually seen the official announcement of name so we look forward to hearing about it and i'm sure it is going to be -- >> what about the white house tour? will there be white house smoke here. >> you're straining the analogy. >> how'd it go? >> good. i enjoyed it. it was useful. thank you. >> now, when we heard about the pope we were e-mailing with people in the room asking if people there knew about it. at the beginning there was hub

bub but then it turns out the president was handed a note by his deputy chief of staff telling him the news and the president announced it to house republicans. someone yelled out does this mean white house tours which of course have been canceled are now open? the president responded, no, but vatican tours are. >> but the main purpose of his visit to capitol hill clearly was to in effect go into the lion's den. >> yes. >> meet with house republicans. make his case while they presumably are wrong as far as spending taxes are concerned and he and the democrats are right. >> he came into the room to a standing ovation. house republicans on their feet applauding for the president. but beyond that, it was respectful. we're told cordial, affable. they certainly got into it with the president on the big issue that divides them, philosophical differences over the budget, how to address and tackle the deficit. i'm told there wasn't a confrontational tone but the undercurrent in the questions that came from house republicans to the president was that a lot

of what he is doing, his focus is political. the idea that maybe his focus is more on getting democrats back in the majority of the house than actually dealing with these issues. i'm told that at the very end he kind of made a little speech responding to that, saying that he is not focused on politics. everything is not about the political imperative, that for example immigration, he said he wouldn't be focusing on that if it were because not all democrats are benefiting fwr that politically and also on entitlements he made the case that entitlement reform is important and as you know many democrats do not think it is a good idea to mess with medicare for example at all. those are some of the things we heard about. afterwards republicans, the leaders at least came out and said it was a good conversation. they're glad he came. it was only the second time he addressed all house republicans. but that they still have these differences especially over republicans saying we're not going to raise taxes and the president saying we have to. >> serious issues, the charm

offensive by the president, continuing. dana, thanks very much. let's dig a little deeper right now. gloria borger is joining us our chief political analyst. let me play a clip. this is john boehner the speaker of the house following this meeting with the president. >> we know, however, there are very real differences between our two parties like issues, jobs, balancing the budget and what do we do to get our economy moving again? republicans want to balance the budget. the president doesn't. republicans want to solve our long-term debt problem. the president doesn't. we want to unlock our energy resources to put more americans back to work. the president doesn't. but having said that, today was a good start. and i hope that these kinds of discussions can continue. >> he says it's a good start. doesn't sound like such a good

start to me. >> no. >> maybe he has a different definition. >> well it sounds like he is still in the middle of the campaign. i think, look. the republicans injure that room blaming the president for being too political. and john boehner is out there saying that the president doesn't want to create jobs or reduce the deficit. of course he does. they all want to do that. the question is, as dana points out earlier, how do you get there? and they there are at this moment where they all know what they have to do. it is just that each side has to be willing to get its political base angry. the president has to be willing to tell democrats that we're going to do something on entitlements and the republicans have to be willing to do something on the tax side. and whether they all get together on tax reform, remains to be seen. but, you know, these kind of things going back and forth, you can have your dinners and all the rest but john boehner still came out and made a very political statement i would

argue and they shouldn't criticize the president for being political if they do that. >> i assume the president is going to be sort of political later tonight. >> sure. >> he is going to be meeting with his supporters, organizing for action, this new organization that was formed from his 2012 re-election campaign. he has invited them to come over to the white house. he wants them to go out there and not only raise money but get out and campaign in effect for his legislative priorities. >> again, there are a couple things i've heard about organizing for action. first of all from republicans what you hear is that the fund raising appeal is so strident that it is as if you were still in the middle of the re-election campaign. and they believe that it is more class warfare, than the republicans don't care about the middle class or the poor in this country just about the wealthy. so they say they're offended by that and of course the election is over. when you talk to democrats about it, they point to bill clinton as one said to me and said look.

when he was fund raising the money was going to the democratic national committee. there are some democrats who are a little concerned that this is more about president obama's brand than it is about the democratic party. so that is a discussion i'm sure they'll be having among themselves. >> a sensitive issue that's come up in the past few days the cancellation of the white house tours causing some commotion out there. listen to the president when he told abc and then listen to his press secretary jay carney trying to explain. >> i have to say this was not a decision that went up to the white house but what the secret service explained to us was that they're going to have to furlough some folks. what furloughs mean is that people lose a day of work and a day of pay. >> the white house runs the tours. we, the tours are of the white house. the secret service staffs the tours. the secret service came to us with a decision that because of

the sequester cuts it would be in their view impossible to staff those tours. >> so it makes it sound like this was a decision that the secret service made but it affects the white house. i'm a little skeptical. i wonder, no one at the white house signed off on this decision? >> i agree with you, wolf. it's clear somebody had to sign off on this decision but the way the white house is portraying it is it is a matter of jobs. you don't want to layoff people who have families if you can at all avoid it and that these are the people that would be giving the white house tours. we'll do some digging and try and get to the bottom of it but i think it was a matter of furloughs. >> president obama saying he'd like to reinstate some tours for school kids coming to washington. that would be important. it is good to see the white house obviously if you're growing up, come to washington with your school, go visit the white house if you can. >> come over to cnn right? >> i don't know if we got those facilities but we'd love to see the school kids. thanks. >> sure. >> up next troubling rhetoric

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correspondent has details. >> reporter: in north korea war fever runs wild. the head strong young leader kim jong un addresses his troops and issues a blood chilling threat. throw all enemies into the called ron, break their waists and crack their wind pipes. it was the same location he and his late father visited in november, 2010, just two days before the north shelled an island killing four south koreans. >> i am very concerned about what they might do and they certainly if they so chose could initiate provocative action against the south. >> reporter: north korea is threatening a preemptive nuclear strike not only on south korea but on the united states, too. prompting this answer to abc news. >> could north korea make good on its threat to hit the united states? >> they probably can't but we don't like margin of error, right, when it comes to -- >> that close? >> well, i don't think, it is not that close. >> reporter: but the u.s. still

is trying to determine what north korea is capable of. u.s. intelligence officials tell cnn they have not determined what kind of nuclear material the north used in its underground test a month ago and an international monitoring group with a vast array of monitoring devices also cannot make any conclusions. >> it is helping him build up his domestic supports. he is revving up nationalist fervor around the nuclear test explosion. the bombastic rhetoric from pyongyang is designed to create the impression there is an enemy about to attack the north. >> reporter: and intelligence sources say they may never know exactly what was used in that bomb so for now they're taking the north korean statements at face value that they do have a uraniuim enrichment program. >> clearly the president himself is pretty concerned about this. jill, thanks very much.

when we come back one week since president obama started his so-called charm offensive with the republicans and he is already expressing some doubts about whether it's working. that is next. [ female announcer ] what if the next big thing, isn't a thing at all? it's lots of things. all waking up. connecting to the global phenomenon we call the internet of everything. ♪ it's going to be amazing. and exciting. and maybe, most remarkably, not that far away. we're going to wake the world up. and watch, with eyes wide,

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important day so far in president obama's outreach campaign on capitol hill. the president going into what we call the lion's den, to meet with some of his fiercest critics, house republicans. just one week since the new so-called term offensive started, the president is already expressing doubts about the outcome. our national political correspondent jim acosta is over at the white house with the very latest. jim? >> wolf, besides that standing ovation he got from house republicans, administration officials say the president also received some tough questions about his commitment to cutting the deficit. those questions were prompted in part by his own comments about whether the debt is actually a crisis for the country. >> how are you? >> reporter: before president obama even walked into his first meeting with republicans on capitol hill he was expressing doubts about a new deal on the deficit. >> ultimately it may be that the differences are just too wide. >> reporter: but white house

press secretary jay carney cautioned the president is not throwing in the towel just yet. >> should he talk to the republicans in the house and senate before making that assessment? >> i think you're making a statement that is obvious. we're trying to find common ground. and the president believes there is common ground. >> reporter: some of that common ground may have gotten a little shaky. saying we don't have an immediate crisis in terms of debt. it's approaching $17 trillion, nearly double what it was in 2008. a fiscal mess he blamed on president bush. >> number 43 added $4 trillion by his lonesome. we now have over $9 trillion of debt that we are going to have to pay back. let's be responsible. >> how is not in the immediate -- >> here's why this chart is here. >> reporter: carney turned to a chart to show what would happen to the deficit under the

president's plan before conceding -- >> it is a long-term debt challenge. >> reporter: the president's remarks sounded depressing. the white house veteran and cnn contributor, david gergen. >> you have to wonder if he was resigned to the fact he can't get much done. this is very early in a term for a president to get discouraged. >> reporter: there are signs the president is making adjustments and maybe some progress. he's opened the possibility of reopening the white house to tours for school children who already made their plans for visits. even his harshest critics say the charm is working. >> i thought we had a frank and candid exchange of ideas. frankly, i think it was productive. >> administration officials are putting their best bid on the president's meeting with house republicans saying he conveyed a message that he's no longer interested in campaign politics. whether that applies to immigration reform or a grand bargain on the debt, the shorter version of that, wolf, would be

the president saying, help me help you. >> the president back at the white house getting ready for a meeting with the supporters, right? >> reporter: that's right. he's going to be talking to a hotel ball room full of reporters in washington, d.c. with the group organizing for action. that is the post-election version of the obama campaign. but we've been cautioned by administration officials, don't expect the president to come out and make a lot of feisty comments tonight aimed at republicans. there's a sense here he's also trying to lower the volume as well. something he hopes to hear from house republicans. >> thanks very much. we're going back to the breaking news at the vatican where the new pope, francis, has just been named. and what this historic news means for catholics around the world. >> may the lord -- ♪

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happening now, breaking news, a new pope, francis, making history in more ways than one. >> we'll speak to one of the cardinals who was part of this groundbreaking election. >> a big meeting on capitol hill. president obama huddling behind president obama huddling behind closed doors with republicans. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com we want to welcome our viewers from around the world. you're in "the situation room." there you have it. pope francis, the new historic

leader of the world's 1.2 billion roman catholics. a few hours ago, jorge mario bergoglio. >> the first jesuit and first to take the name of the most venerrated figures of the chath lick church, francis of assisi. moments after he revealed himself, pope francis sent a message to the world. >> translator: to begin this journey together, for the people, this journey for the roman catholic church, it is a journey of friendship and love, trust and faith. let us pray always for one another. let us pray for the whole world.

let us have a big brotherhood. >> anderson cooper is on the scene for us at st. peter's square. anderson, you were there when we saw the white smoke. we waited about an hour. then we saw the new pope. what was it like? >> reporter: it was an extraordinary moment. and to be in the square soon after we saw the white smoke, i actually literally ran over to the square a few blocks away from where we are right now. along with tens of thousands of other people here who were literally running through the streets in order to try to get there in time. people sending each other text messages, calling each other. the square quickly filled up. tens of thousands of people there. so much joy and excitement. a lot of young people there, singing, chanting, and then to actually see the pope for the first time, to learn his identity. i talked to a number of people from argentina in the crowd who could not have been more thrilled. in fact, a lot of people from south america, from latin america, central america, who could not have been more thrilled to see a spanish

speaking pope at the vatican. john allen, not to be underestimated the importance of the name that he has selected. pope francis. >> absolutely not. we've been ticking off all of the firsts about this new pope. the first pope from latin america, the first member of the society of the jesuits. of all the firsts, through catholic eyes, by far the most stunning first, the first pope to take francis. there's only one francis, that no one can take that name. because it's a singular figure. >> obviously, let's remember, the choice of the name, that's the first thing you do as pope when you cross that threshold in the conclave. the first question is, do you accept your election. if you say yes, you're the pope. the second question, the first act you take as pope is the choice of name. you're asked what name you wish

to be called. literally, this pope wanted to send a signal of a break with the past, a bold break with tradition, to embrace everything that francis represents in the mind of the church and the mind of the world, this spirited of humility, of poverty, of closeness to the little ones. francis talked about his love affair with lady poverty. all at once, he has summoned an entirely new image of what leadership in the church is going to look like. >> and there was a sense of humility as he stood on that balcony this evening. >> oh, unquestionably. let's remember, that when he came out, before he delivered the blessing, and of course, that moment is for the pope to deliver this blessing, the blessing to the city and to the world, but before he did that, he said before i bless you, i want you to bless me. and then he knelt in silence and waited for that to happen. it was a marvelous symbolic way of communicating. but sometimes the church and

church leaders speak better and more eloquently with their silence than with their words. >> in the days running up to this, there has been much discussion about divisions within the church. divisions among the 115 cardinals. and where those divisions might lead in terms of who might get elected. what does it tell you about the fact that this is the man who actually got elected, that it wasn't the cardinal from brazil that some people had said -- the people who run the vatican bureaucracy were backing, or it wasn't the cardinal from milan? >> well, i think it is striking, of course, as you know, anderson, the drum beats leading up to this, was a certain frustration with business as usual inside the vatican and his desire to break from that. pope bergoglio, now francis, he has a public record of being critical of some aspects the way the vatican and rome curan has run. i think that's consistent with

what we're hearing from many cardinals, that they wanted somebody who was not part of the culture here, that could bring a dose of sort of real world experience, pastoral experience, being in the trenches of peems, knowing their hopes and dreams and their own frustrations. >> based upon everything we know, all the conclave eight years ago, he was in effect the runner-up finisher in 2005. in fact, in the profile as a papal candidate, they said in trying to handicap papal elections, we don't have the tools that we need. we don't have campaign war chests. one thing we did have this time was past performance. we knew cardinal bergoglio was a serious candidate last time, therefore you have to take him seriously this time. the second time was the charm. >> all the talk now, wolf, is over, and of course, the work

for this pope begins right away, as he learns all the movements he said he now has to make. and begins to take the helm of this huge institution, this worldwide institution, and the hopes of the 1.2 billion catholics around the world. >> a huge, huge responsibility. john, before i let you go, i read your piece, it was an excellent piece you posted back on march 3rd, about the man who is now the new pope. he appealed to those who liberalized those among the jesuits as a symbol of the church's commitment to the developing world. in other words, he appealed to a lot of people. that's why he's now pope. >> well, sure, wolf. listen, i think the 115 cardinals, including, of course, cardinal bergoglio himself, who went into the sistine chapel to

make this decision, are well aware this is the catholic church, a badly divided church. any family that includes 1.2 billion members is going to have a lot of currents. in his own life, pope francis profiled to someone who had a record of straddling those divides within his own religious congregation, in his own sprawling archdiocese in buenos aires. he is a man having a history of being able to bring together a variety of different instincts and outlooks on things. now, of course, he's going to have to try to be that reconciler, and that bridge builder. the term pontiff literally means bridge builder. he now has the challenge and opportunity to do that on a much vaster, global scale. >> john allen, our senior vatican analyst. anderson, of course, will have much, more at 8:00 eastern on a

krrc 360. >> lisa sylvester is looking into this. who is pope francis? >> the first question that people had is, what exactly do we call him? is he pope francis i, or do we just call him pope francis? to clear that up, the guidance we're getting from the vatican is just pope francis. there is a lot of meaning in choosing the name francis. a saint known for living a simple life. pope francis is the first in many ways. the first jesuit pope. the first pope from the new world. and the first one to take the name francis. as jorge mario bergoglio, he lived in a simple apartment, not the archbishop's palace. he took the bus instead of a limo. he cooked his own meals. his life was modeled on simplici simplicity. as argentina's top official, he opposed argentina becoming the first latin american country to legalize gay marriage. the son of italian immigrants he

planned to become a chemist but instead began studying for the priesthood. many thought his age of 76 would rule him out this time. he is now the leader of more than 1 billion catholics around the world. as the world found out the name and identity of the new pope, there were cheers. the bishop of arlington, virginia, said the pope's challenge would be to follow the truth and teachings of the church even as the church itself evolves. he explained there's a significant of choosing to name himself after st. francis of assisi. >> he was a man of the church, his whole life was to build up the church as the lord stated to him. first he thought it was the chapel, but they realized that it was the living church. >> speaking of st. francis of

assisi. the question is, how does the new pope rebuild the church. does he bring in more people into the catholic church. it's so interesting that here he is the pope in the vatican where he's such a simple man. people talked about when the bishops would get together, he was the one that wanted to sit in the back row. he's not the one that, look at me. he would spend a lot of time in the slums talking to people. and that, in many ways, is one of the appeals. he knows what rank and file catholics are thinking and what they want. it will be very interesting to see where we move from here. >> a day of many firsts, which also come with a lot of responsibility on this man's shoulders. >> we'll learn a lot more about this new pope. on saturday he's meeting with journalists. >> journalists, i believe, even tomorrow he's holding mass. a lot ahead. it begins just like that, his life has changed. much more on the breaking news. we'll talk to one of the cardinals who helped make this

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delicious. sabra hummus. dip life to the fullest. we're taking you inside our own virtual sistine chapel to figure out why the cardinals picked this latin american pope.

perhaps this is now the spiritual leader of more than 1

billion roman catholics. >> they may be united by core beliefs, but it's a very diverse block spread all over the world. hi, tom. >> you know, to understand how astonishing this election is, you really have to realize that there was a collision that happened here between 115 cardinal electors in this room and 1.2 billion catholics all over the planet. and it really is something to reckon with. look at this, over in oceania, 9 million catholics over there. if you move further on, you pick up more in asia, and places like that. but really, when you come to this area, that's when you get to the big difference. because suddenly you look at this difference. in italy, there are only 56 million catholics on a good day, whereas in latin america, you're talking about 501 million catholics. that is a gigantic, gigantic difference in terms of the influence they ought to have. in a democratic system, there's

no question you would get a latin american pope out of these kinds of numbers. especially when you consider that one-third of north americans, catholics, also are hispanic. you would think that in a democracy, but this is not a democracy, this is a very different system here. if you consider the count of the cardinals in these two different places, it's not at all balanced or representative. italy, one country, 28 cardinals were voting in this room for the new pope. whereas all of latin america, 19 cardinals were here to vote, including only two from or jen tin a. the only way that this election happened was because some of the old world catholics began to recognize the new world of the catholic church, in which the number of latin-american catholics is equal to almost half of the entire church population. that is how this pope was chosen. kate? >> good stuff. tom foreman, thank you. >> i love that virtual sistine chapel. >> i know. i could watch it for hours. he's right there.

exclusive access in our virtual sistine chapel. >> excellent work, tom. thanks very much. we're also following other news, including the white house speaking out about canceling those popular public tours, and saying don't blame us. ♪

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the white house on the defensive right now regarding those canceled white house tours. kate's got that, and some of the day's other top stories. >> this is one issue of the sequester that has really hit a nerve with people, wolf, that's for sure. no more public white house tours for now. officials there are saying, don't blame us. the tours were canceled in the wake of those forced budget cuts that we've talked so much about. and some critics accused the president and the obama

administration of grandstanding against the cuts. a spokesman said it wasn't the president's decision. >> the white house runs the tours. the tours of the white house. the secret service staffs the tours. the secret service came to us with a decision that because of the sequester cuts, it would be, in their view, impossible to staff those tours, that they would have to withdraw staff from those tours in order to avoid more furloughs and overtime pay cuts. it was our job then to cancel the tours. >> the secret service says canceling the tours will save it $2 million over the next seven months. a very tough opening statement in the rape trial of two ohio high school football stars. the prosecutor said they treated a young girl, and this is them quoting, like a toy. sexually assaulting her, recording the abuse and then

bragging about it. the case received widespread attention on the alleged abuse online. defense attorneys say the defendants, those football players, are innocent. florida lieutenant governor jennifer carroll is stepping down as questions arise before her work before office. she used to be in a company auld allied veterans of the world. some were arrested for racket earring and money laundering. carroll is a republican and the first african-american elected to florida statewide office. not good news for her. >> not good news at all. >> not at all. >> kate, thank you. we're following the breaking news right now, the historic election of the first south american pope in history. we're going to talk to one of the cardinals who was part of this vote. there's nothing like our grilled lobster and lobster tacos. the bar harbor bake is really worth trying. [ male announcer ] get more during red lobster's lobsterfest. with the year's largest selection of mouth-watering lobster entrees. like our delicious lobster lover's dream,

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looking at live pictures from buenos aires, the cathedral there. they're celebrating the first argentine to become the pope, now pope francis. we're continuing to follow this historic news. cardinal jorge bergoglio. the first south american pope, first non-european in modern times. he will visit with pope benedict xvi on thursday morning, according to cardinal timothy

dolan from new york. >> 597 years ago, that they've been able to do that, the pre deceaser meeting with the current. that should be an amazing meeting. the new pope, francis, is the culmination of an ancient and spectacular process that had the eyes of the world glued on the vatican. for two days, from across rome and the world, the faithful came to st. peter's square. they came in the dark, and the rain, and the cold. and they came for this. at 7:06 p.m. in vatican city on the fifth ballot, smoke, bells and a new pope. but the question for little more than an hour, who would the new pope be, and what would he mean for the church. >> i've been a catholic from the moment i was born. you know, there's something exciting about seeing the white smoke in person. this is the first time. our hope and prayer it's going to be someone who welcomes the inclusion of women in the

catholic church, that opens more roles up to women in the catholic church. >> the eyes from millions around the world trained on this balcony, awaiting the announcement of a single name. translated, we have a pope. cardinal hor ray mario bergoglio, from argentina. 76 years old, conservative and the first non-european pope of the modern era. he took the name francis, and appeared on the balcony of st. peter's basilica, welcomed by the roar of the faithful below. >> translator: dear brothers and sisters, good evening. as you know, the duty of the conclave was to appoint a bishop to rome, and it seems to me that

my brothers, cardinals, have chosen one who is from far away. but here i am. >> reporter: the crowd silenced only by a simple request by the man who will now lead the world's 1.2 million catholics. >> translator: before the bishop blessed the people, i would like to pray for the lord so that the prayer of the people blesses also the new pontiff. let us pray in silence. >> we've heard so many times, we've heard it from anderson and chris, the amazing experience of all of the people who were able to run to st. peter's square and experience it. it had me thinking when we were putting this piece together, what an amazing day it was for pope francis. he entered the conclave as a cardinal, and came out a pope.

amazing. >> you know, cardinal timothy dolan of new york is speaking to cardinals in rome. he was one of the 115 cardinals who selected this new pope. >> there are challenges. like the church in north america. but a church that is rich in its tradition, a church where catholicism is part of their dna. and a church that is growing and alive. and to think of the electricity that's going to send. can you imagine when pope francis goes for world youth day, which may probably be his first international trip in july to brazil. can you imagine the welcome he'll get, a pope from latin america. you can imagine the joy in our latin american brothers. i want to mention to you, as has been mentioned in the past, even though nationalality and geography is important, i think most cardinals just want to choose the right man. you know, you want a man of god. you want a man of good pastoral

governance. you want a man with a sense of the church universal. you want a good communicator. and he fills those bills. where he comes from is gravy. and we've got a lot of good gravy with the man coming now from latin america. you talk about a booster shot to the church in the americas. this is going to be a real blessing. you all know rich? rich was here at the election of pius xii, i think, weren't you? [ inaudible ]. >> it did, sure, yes. a big applause. first of all, when he reached the vote of 77, and we knew, here's the man, and then when it

was announced again at the end by a tally, and when he said achepto, that's a great moment of -- i don't think there was a dry eye in the place. [ inaudible ]. >> you know, i just heard that, rich. we couldn't hear what he was saying. because -- what do you call it -- the public address was going out that way. we couldn't hear. so i was captivated. in fact, i asked on the way home, i said, i heard the silence. i said, i wonder what's going on. and that's what i heard. isn't that magnificent? yeah. and i understood he asked for prayers of gratitude and intercession for pope benedict, that he would lead the people in the two favorite prayers of a catholic. like a father, a good teacher.

i don't know what else -- i do know that when we were waiting to go out, see, all the cardinals go up to give our love and loyalty and assurance of prayers. and then there were a lot of other people there to line up to see him. and he very touchingly said, somebody apparently said, it had been raining, he said to them, is it okay if i see you afterwards? maybe we should go to the balcony first. because i don't want to keep the people waiting. that's a very spontaneously gracious remark to make. the mark of a good pastor. i'm kind of eager to read what he said. i presume -- that was unscripted. you know, that's not the kind of text it should have. i'm eager to see that myself. are we okay? you know, the other cardinals are going to be here. are they coming here? or what's the scoop? >> i think they have other rooms for them around the building here, for them to go to.

the seminaryians out in the hallway. >> i sure appreciate your company tonight. and if i can do anything for you, i'm here, i guess, until the day after st. joseph's day. and you know the great news? my niece, kelly, had a baby. charlie. [ applause ] where's patrick at? pat's my brother. kelly's your goddaughter, right? i didn't know it. i knew she was probably going to go in tuesday. so the first thing i asked when i got out, father jim was here with a picture of charlie. that's another reason to say -- if i could, i'd say hallelujah. but i can't, because it's lent. thank you all. look forward to being with you. all right? [ applause ] >> there he is, cardinal timothy dolan. there was a lot of speculation there could potentially be an american pope. >> i don't know if he was a long

shot candidate. but he is so great. taking the stage. so descriptive. even though they're sworn to secrecy, hearing his experience, you know, as the pope was chosen, and went out on the balcony. cardinal dolan is always a joy to have, and a joy to listen to. we are following the day's other news as well. coming up next, president obama's big meeting on capitol hill behind closed doors with hill behind closed doors with republicans. i honestly loved smoking, and i honestly didn't think i would ever quit. [ male announcer ] along with support, chantix (varenicline) is proven to help people quit smoking. it reduces the urge to smoke. it put me at ease that you could smoke on the first week. [ male announcer ] some people had changes in behavior, thinking or mood, hostility, agitation, depressed mood and suicidal thoughts or actions while taking or after stopping chantix. if you notice any of these stop taking chantix and call your doctor right away. tell your doctor about any history of depression or other mental health problems, which could get worse while taking chantix. don't take chantix if you've had a serious allergic or skin reaction to it.

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the president went into the lion's den, so to speak today, to meet with some of his fiercest critikricritics, house

republicans. dana bash was outside the meeting. i almost said inside the meeting. >> i wish. >> exactly. so dana, what happened behind those closed doors? >> we're told that the president was greeted by a standing ovation, which may be news in and of itself because it was full of a room of house republicans. they got into a pretty intense q&a session mostly on the issue that divides them the most which is the budget and fiscal issues and how to tackle the debt and deficit. there was a lot of grumbling among republicans coming out, because the president apparently made clear he doesn't agree with them that the budget even needs to be balanced in ten years. of course, the whole question of how to deal with it, raising taxes as the president wants, versus just cutting spending as republicans want, that still is a divide. listen to the house majority leader. >> if the president wants to let our unwillingness to raise taxes get in the way, then we're not going to be able to set differences aside and focus on what we agree on.

>> okay. we're also told that there was a lot of frank discussion, as they say, about everything from entitlement reform, to tax reform. which by the way, i'm told the president said had to be linked to immigration. for the most part republicans coming out of the meeting saying they definitely thought it was worthwhile. at least even if they don't agree on much, they were able to see each other's point of view and have a discussion, which doesn't happen a lot. that's why this was significant. >> which is shocking that they don't actually speak to each other, the two sides very often. which is really an amazing fact about this all. did it come up at all, are you hearing in the meeting, the criticisms often that the republicans saying he's too political, that he approaches every one of the debates through the lens of a campaign rather than trying to get a deal? >> yes, absolutely. in fact, we're told by a number of sources that that was kind of the undercurrent of most of the questions that the president got from these republicans, congressmen, the idea that he, as you said, hasn't stopped campaigning. not only that, kate, he was

leaving the capitol to go to his campaign operation. remember, the president is not up for reelection ever again. he was still going to his campaign organization, organizing for america. listen to the way one house republican described that situation. >> i think the hesitation from my conference is that we feel that the president has been very political. and very calculated. he's assured us that, i think his quote was, we're not that smart, we're not far ahead of the curve. i think there's a lot of skepticism to that, though. >> a lot of skepticism for sure, kate. one of the questions, tough questions that the president got, we're told, is from candace miller, republican congresswoman, of course, saying that she wanted to know why he canceled the white house tours. now, we had a pretty lengthy answer to that. republicans believe that was a political move to show the effects of the forced spending cuts that have gone into effect. you heard michael grimm say the

president's response was not very smart. if he was really that political, he wouldn't be pushing issues like entitlement reform, immigration reform that could hurt his fellow democrats at the polls. >> we'll see if it changes the dynamic at large at all. i guess we can agree maybe a step towards each other is a good step regardless. did you ever wonder what happens to all that stuff that doesn't make it past airport security? guess what, we found out, and you might be shocked to find out who's making some big money off of it all.

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another all-time high on wall street today. the dow added five more points marking a ninth straight day of gains. better than expected retail sales report is behind the bump. we're back with other news next.

joining us now on the phone is cardinal donald whirl, the archbishop of washington, d.c. you were one of the 115 that elected pope francis. and i take it, cardinal, you were there very close to him when this historic moment occurred? >> yes. in fact, this morning, when we

had mass together at the chapel in the conclave, he and i sat next to each other. little did i think at that point that he was going to be the next pope. but there we were, just a short time ago, with all of the balloting being counted. who steps out now on the balcony, pope francis. it's just a beautiful and exciting time. and certainly it is good news. i think it's totally good news for the church. i think it's good news for all of those for whom the church brings a message. >> of course, you're sworn to secrecy. but tell us about your first time in the conclave. what was it like? what was going through your mind when you cast that vote? >> well, the most important thing going into the conclave was to be aware that this is a spiritual event. i kept reminding myself, because some older cardinals who were

not voting, who were past the age, said to me, when you're in the conclave, things will be different. it will be quiet. you'll be focused now on the spiritual power of god working in that room. and i think that's probably what i will carry away with me, the sense that god's providence, the holy spirit was really at work, touching us, and using all of us as instruments to do his will. now, i have to say, before we went into the conclave, we had that whole week to get to know each other. we had a week of general meetings. and that's when we took advantage of the time to ask each other questions, to ask one another what we thought of what would be expected of the next pope. so that was background. but in the conclave, it was prayer. >> we know one of the catholics in your district, the vice president of the united states, joe biden, cardinal, he'll be coming to rome, to the vatican for the inaugural mass.

give us a little sense of the history of what's going on right now. >> well, when you think of this, this is the first time in the 2,000-year history of the catholic church that we have a pope, a successor to peter who comes from our hemisphere, who comes from what here they call the new world. we've had with so many centuries italian popes and a polish pope, a german pope. but now talking about history, we have a pope who comes from the western hemisphere. i think it's just a completely new moment in the life of the church. and delighted to know that the vice president will be coming as part of the official delegation to lead the official delegation for the installation mass. i look forward to having a chance to say hello to the vice president. >> i'm sure he'll be looking

forward to seeing you. cardinal, thank you so much for spending a few minutes with us, donald wuerl. >> you're very welcome. god bless you. >> i love it when they say god bless you. that's really nice. >> it is very nice. >> appreciate it very much. we're following some other news here in "the situation room" as well. you probably seen it even if it hasn't happened to you, airline passengers forced to dump banned items over at the security checkpoint. >> yeah, we found out where a lot of those items actually end up. and we were surprised to find out someone is making a lot of money off of them. cnn's renee marsh is looking into this story. i think a lot of people are interested to find this one out. >> yeah. you know if you left something behind the last time you took a trip for work, wolf, if you left something behind, chances it did turn into cash for someone, not necessarily the tsa. it turns into cash for possibly your state, state government.

if you want to take a look at exactly where your property ends up, here it is. it's the final dumping ground for the items you're not getting past the tsa, a spear, numb chucks, ax, heavy marble rolling pin and lots and lots of knives. >> it has a fixed blocking blade. and it also has a molded grip. you would not be able to bring that on to a plane still. >> but then something like this, now, you would be able to. so you wouldn't get things like this anymore. >> every month an average of 425 pounds of stuff ends up in tsa's hands at each of the nation's largest airports. the tsa boxes it up and ships it out to states that want to make a buck by selling it. this is right off the truck? >> yes. >> reporter: cnn goes behind the scenes in pennsylvania at one of the largest receiving centers. buckets and boxes of your personal belongings from major mid-atlantic airports like laguardia, jfk and newark all

here. would you say that of all the things that you get in here and all of these huge bins, majority of them knives, things of that sort? >> yeah, i would say that they're knives. when they go through the tsa security checkpoints, they have the option of either, you know, sending those items home voluntarily surrendering them so they can get on the plane. >> reporter: pennsylvania is turning this cold hard steel into cold hard cash. in the past nine years, they made nearly $900,000 selling all the items you couldn't get through tsa security. some items are sold at this government surplus store. >> ten pounds of asorted black knives are going tore $7$75. >> reporter: if you want to get back that knife airport screeners wouldn't let through, you can get it here at a price. all right. and it is actually the state not the t. a that sets the price for the

items. they determine it based on the ken and the market price. they try to discount the price as well. so was that sphere yours that we saw in the piece? >> you caught me. yeah, no.ing to get it through. >> renee, thank you. >> now that he's been chosen, it's all about the pope. but before that, before he was elected, it was all about the smoke. we're taking a closer look at the media's relentless fascination with the vatican chimney. logical thinker. (laug) i'm telling you right now, the girl back at home would absolutely not have taken a zip line in the jungle. (screams) i'm really glad that girl stayed at home. vo: expedia helps 30 million travelers a month find what they're looking for. one traveler at a time. expedia. find yours.

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